CT Medicaid admin costs are 5th lowest in the nation, but CT fully insured plans are the 5th highest

Connecticut Medicaid spent $467 less per person in 2023 on administration and corporate profit than all most states, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. However, state residents in fully-insured health plans spent $412 more for administration and profit than most Americans, according to the authors from Brown University. In fully insured plans,…

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Reference pricing lowers healthcare prices, could save CT millions

Download the backgrounder Hospital prices are driving up healthcare costs making coverage unaffordable, in Connecticut and across the US. It’s hard to reduce hospital prices, especially in consolidated markets like Connecticut’s, where huge health systems have monopoly power to demand steep prices. But Oregon and Montana have been saving millions annually on just their state…

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CTNJ: To make healthcare affordable, break up OHS

Candidates are hearing a lot about affordability, in Connecticut and across the country. Rising healthcare costs are a big part of the problem, erasing any wage increases. Connecticut is among the most expensive states for health insurance premiums,  and they’re rising fast. Our state Office of Health Strategy is tasked with finding solutions that lower…

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ACA chapter in CT Healthcare Explained updated

We’ve updated the  Affordable Care Act chapter of CT Healthcare Explained. The update was prompted by new numbers and new topics, including what we know about COVID insurance subsidies lapsing. CT Healthcare Explained is our explainer website cutting through the complexities of our state’s healthcare system. Like the other 17 topic sections, the ACA chapter…

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Reference pricing lowers healthcare prices, could save CT millions

Hospital prices are driving up healthcare costs making coverage unaffordable, in Connecticut and across the US. It’s hard to reduce hospital prices, especially in consolidated markets like Connecticut’s, where huge health systems have monopoly power to demand steep prices. But since 2019, Oregon has been saving $50 million annually on just their state employee plan,…

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Still the best kept secret in CT healthcare – CID insurer report card

The 2025 annual CT health insurance plan comparison report from the CT Insurance Department (CID) is an underappreciated gold mine of information – for people and employers choosing  plans and for researchers looking for trends and high performers. CID has been publishing the report since at least 2011. The Consumer Report Card on Health Insurance…

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Private Insurance chapter in CT Healthcare Explained updated

We’ve updated the Private Insurance chapter of CT Healthcare Explained. The update was prompted by new numbers and new topics, including level-funded plans, Connecticut private insurance prices compared to Medicare, and wide hospital price variation. CT Healthcare Explained is our explainer website cutting through the complexities of our state’s healthcare system. Like the other 17…

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Analysis: CT is a National Leader in Fight to Control Drug Costs

This year, Connecticut passed meaningful laws to control stubbornly-high prescription drug prices. According to the Office of Health Strategy, prescription drugs are among the top three drivers of Connecticut’s unaffordable healthcare costs, across Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. States don’t have the powerful levers that federal policymakers could access, and federal law can be a…

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CT health policy learning opportunity

To help build health policy capacity in our state, the CT Health Policy Project is launching a guided study/class that builds on CT Healthcare Explained. There is no cost for the course. There is a webpage for the course (learncthealth.org) that starts in September and runs through December. We’ll use a hybrid format – video…

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